Birthday boy

Another year is past and this boy is 11. He had a fun day at school in his Harry Potter costume, playing outside after school, no homework, hotdogs with Doritos and cottage cheese for dinner, soccer practice, and waffle cones at Thrifty. He got some money in the mail, a skateboard, helmet, pads, book, and a boy scout shirt. He is so excited to ride the skateboard all day tomorrow since there is no school. We are so glad this cute boy is in our family.

School for Ayla

Guess who finally got to start school? While I was brushing her hair she asked for Elsa hair. So that is what I did. While taking the picture she was proudly saying CHEESE! She was so excited to ride the bus....until the bus got here. The driver let me take her up to her seat. She got to sit by a cheerful girl who was excited for a new friend. I think Ayla will like her. I know Ayla will love school, but she may be resistant for a week or two. I am thrilled she is finally in a speech therapy program with other kids so she can be fully ready for kindergarten when the time comes. I cried after she was gone though because I was feeling her nervousness with mine. As much as we both need a break from each other I think I will miss her a little.

9 months

I love his sweet smile. He has a smile for everyone. He has finally gotten on the growth chart at the doctor's office, at a whopping 4th percentile. That means 96 percent of the kids his age are bigger than him. He LOVES his bottle. Whenever he sees me coming with it he kicks his feet like crazy, and his face gets very animated. He is doing okay with solid food. It still comes out his nose, and he still makes a mess all over the place. The doctor said to just keep at it, but solid food isn't his food staple anyway, so it's okay to have it once a day and have formula the rest of the time. For him, solid food is about developing motor skills not getting calories. He has upgraded to an 8 oz size bottle because he drinks 5 oz of formula almost every feeding. 5 oz in a 5 oz bottle is hard to shake and hard to not spill while filling. With the special needs nipple the 8oz bottle is HUGE! I feel like I am feeding a calf not my baby. Rydon inchworm crawls like crazy. He can sit up from laying down all by himself all the time. He is starting to climb over larger things on the floor. I have also seen him try getting on his knees. I am sure in the next few weeks he will attempt standing next to furniture. He sure loves to explore the world around him. He would rather be playing on the floor than being held most of the time.

Birthday party for the boys

This year we took the opportunity to rent a party place for the boys. We discovered an arcade with free games, tv room, bounce house, and  small kitchen to use. They told us for a flat fee we could bring any food we wanted, we could have as many people as we wanted, and all we needed to do was vacuum and take out the trash when we were done. Both Brady and I were sold. I had looked at a few places to rent out and all of them were for 10 people max, their food, and at one place their cake too. I didn't want  to limit the fun to only 10 people because our family would take up seven spots. Also I discovered by doing their party at the same time instead of one on each of their birthdays I saved almost $100. It was a total blast. I made each of them a cake.  Ammon's was the golden snitch from Harry Potter. One of the wings broke during transport so it doesn't look as good as it was supposed to. Zenock chose Beymax from the movie Big Hero Six. That was the easiest cake I have ever decorated. I didn't get any photos, and Brady only took one. We were too busy enjoying ourselves to worry about photos. I think we had about 20 families come. The boys loved playing with all of their friends. Both of them have already asked to do it again next year.

Zenock's birthday

This cute boy turned 9. He got to have yummy bagels for breakfast, a trip to Adventuredome with Ammon and Brady, BJ's pizza for dinner, soccer practice, and a birthday ice cream cone at Baskin Robbins. He got a big stuffed shark (the one thing he really really really wanted), How to Train Your Dragon legos, a predator book, and a gift certificate for more books from his next school book order. He had a great day.

Rydon's emergency

This is a raw journal entry.
Last night I was using the bathroom and the kids came rushing in saying Rydon was choking. Zenock brought him into my room and I could tell by his coughing and crying that something was indeed in his throat but I couldn't see it. I was also concerned about something being lodged in his cleft palate, but I couldn't see anything up there either. I put him upside down over my leg and did a throat sweep, just as I was taught in numerous CPR/first aid classes. Nothing but baby food came out. I kept checking his mouth and still didn't see anything causing distress, but I was still so worried. I laid him on the floor and called 911. Brady was at stake choir practice and I knew I should call 911 instead of hoping he would answer the phone and come home to help me. The operator asked me lots of questions and talked with me until the ambulance turned the corner by our house. I had the kids call Brady after I hung up with 911. The kids were excited to see the ambulance, as they all love to watch the EMS vehicles drive by our house. When three fire department EMT's came in the house Ayla got very scared saying the policemen were scary. By the time they arrived he had calmed down and was sucking his fingers. They checked Rydon over, listening to his lungs, looking in his mouth.  One of them picked him up and Rydon started smiling and playing with him. We never found out what he was choking on. I am so glad the 911 dispatch wasn't bogged down with callers so I could get right through to them on the first ring. I am grateful the fire station isn't far from our house. I am grateful I knew just what to do in this situation. And for the record, it is SO SCARY to call 911 for your own kids. Thankfully he was ok and didn't have to take a ride to the hospital.

This is what Brady had to say about the whole experience:
The worst phone call you've ever gotten? I got mine tonight. While at stake choir practice, I got a call from Keiza that I felt that I should answer but didn't in time. Normally, I would have just texted her when I was finished, but the feeling wouldn't go away that I needed to call her. Then I got a voicemail. So I listened to it as I went into the hall. It was Zenock, sounding frantic, all I could understand was "paramedics" and "come home". Worst. Drive. Home. EVER.
Turns out Rydon choked on something and she couldn't get it out. But she did by continuing to use what she had been trained to and practiced by the time the paramedics got there. They checked him out and he was fine. Nothing in his lungs and all his vitals were back to normal.
But holy crap! I did like 60 going home and pulled up as they left. Gideon was shouting "bye-bye" as they drove off, and telling me all about the firemen helping the baby so it seems that everything was ok by then. Ayla was scared of the "policemen" when four of them came in our house all at once. But other than that everyone was pretty calm and did it right. But holy crap!
I'm grateful my wife keeps her wits in emergencies, that the response time for our fire station was less then 10 minutes, the excellent CPR and first aid training my wife and I have had, and most especially the still small voice of the Holy Ghost who yells when we don't listen the first time.

Sitting up in bed

I just found this when I came in to get him from his nap. He looks pleased with himself for getting to a sitting position all by himself.

School Projects

He wanted to make and learn to walk on stilts for his motin push/pull project at school.

Getting up by himself is really hard.

Ammon had a project about animals and plants adapting in the Nevada desert. I have never learned so much about Joshua trees, sagebrush (creosote), desert tortoises, and coyotes in my life.

Rydon laughing

Rydon was laughing at me after his nap a few days ago. Baby laughs are adorable!